VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1949-1954 Have 50 3100 - 216 (53?) with rod insert bearings

The 216 engine in my 50 chevy has a block casting number "GM3 3835849" and a head casting number "GM3835517". These casting numbers apparently refer to a 52/53 216. When I unbolted a connecting rod, I found that it has insert bearings and not babbitt. Did the 216 ever come with insert bearings? Maybe in 53? I did see some Internet references to a kit, from long ago, for converting from babbitt to insert.
Also, as a side note, the engine serial number "DR140622CAL" doesn't match up to any Chevy 216 serial number prefix data I could find on several Internet sites. Just trying to figure out what I have.

What you have is an engine that has been rebuilt at one time. Rebuilt engines were available from many sorces years ago. I would suspect the engine number is a special number from California noting the engine is not original. Prior to 1955 most states registered the vehicle by the engine numer and one a different engine was installed the state issued a number.
Prior to 1954 the 1953 Power Glide engine was the only one to have inserts from the factory. If you look at the back of the insert there may be a number stamped indication the "undersize" of the bearing. An undersized insert is no problem and is much better than have a babbited rod built up with thicker babbitt to make it under-sized.

Thanks for the info! The more I learn about this, the more I'm starting to think that the engine was converted from babbitt to inserts. On another forum, there was a link to an old catalog that had a conversion kit for this. Based on the casting numbers, I think I have a 53' 216 truck engine that was converted to inserts. I'm certainly learning more as I go along!

In 1953 the sedan delivery, 1/2, 3/4, 1 and 1 1/2 ton trucks all used a 216 engine. The same block was used in the 1952 stick passenger cars. Note it has the motor mount bracket bolt holes on each side for passenger car use.
The 1953 216 and 235 still had cast iron pistons, rod dippers and babbited rods. The 1953 Power Glide had aluminum pistons, full pressure oiling and rod inserts. If you have a rebuilt engine there is a good chance it has after-market aluminum pistons.

The 216 in my 52 chev sedan has insert rod bearings. A kit was purchased by the PO and installed when #1 rod went out. The engine in this case was a rebuilt "Tomahawk" brand. Sears, Monkey wards, Gambles and Western Auto supply all had rebuilts available. In 1951 my best friend (ford guy) purchased a rebuilt short block V-8 from Sears that was bored, and had a 3/4 race cam in it. As I recall the price was $198.00 or something close to that.

In 1962 my sister gave me her '39 MD and the engine was worn out. So I had it rebuilt and I used Federal Mogal rods which were modified to have inserts. I know FM from their factory made a market for those rods. I had the crankshaft ground to .020 under and drove the car to work for seven years. In 1972, I sold the '39 to another club member and he continued to drive to work for several more years. So it's very possible to have inserted rods in earlier cars.

I get confused when I get to the change over from 216 babbitt to the 235 inserts. Is the 53 PG 235 engine the same as a 54 235?
a. Can you spot any babbitt engine by merely looking for the oil distribution system on the lower, center left side.
b. Is this oil distribution system a tell-tell that the engine was designed to be babbitt?
c. Are inserts made of the same material as babbitt?
d. Is the only advantage of inserts over babbitt simply that you can change out inserts instead of having to re-babbitt the rods, thus making an overhaul/rebuild cheaper and simpler?
e. Wasn't the mere fact that you got full oil pressure the stronger/better reason that an insert engine was better than babbitt with dippers/spray?
f. Won't rods on a proper fitted 216 with babbitt last just as long before journal wear out as a 235 with inserts?

Just something to think about and discuss with friends as you sit around the cracker barrel and pretend to be working on the old Chevrolet.
Charlie

BTW: I expect that the thinking will go heavily in favor of the inserts. But i think the reasoning is somewhat more complicated than merely accepting the inserts as the only factor in the equation. Better oils and a better full-pressure system surely must be heavily considered as well.

The 1953 Power Glide engine is the same as all the 1954 and up engines.
The engines that do not have full pressure oiling have the tin plate held on by 3 screws on the left dide of the engine -center - lower. The oil distributor valve is behind this plate.
This indiactes that the engine does not have full pressure oil. It has the dippers and all with dippers has the babbited connecting rods (from the factory)
The inserts also are babbited. A 2011 car will have bearings with a form of thin babbit.
The thickness of the babbitt kept getting thinner over the years. The thick babbitt was better in the older engine as the thick babbitt would kind of absorb the dust particles in the oil. The disadvantage is the babbitt would slowly compress and the bearings would require adddjusting more frequently
By the mid-1930's most engines changed over to inserts. They also had a thicker babbitt on the inserts.
Buick changed to inserts in mid 1948. The pre-war Studebaker Champion engine did not have inserts. The Hudson did not have inserts till the "new" 6 Cyl. engine in 1948 The Hudson straight 8 had no inserts right up til it was discontinued in 1952. The model A ford did not have inserts. The Model A and the Hudson engies also had dippers.
The babbited rods are easy to adjust and were more "forgiving" if the crank journal was less than perfect. It the babbit rod was run "loose" too long the babbitt would began to chip off.
The dipper system Chevrolet used gave good lubrication every thing was "working" OK. Above 4000 RPM the dipper would cut a path out of the oil supply. The dipper oiled the bearing only at the very bottom of the stroke. The full pressure forced oil thru the bearing at the full reveloution.
The 1948-1953 with dippers and (thin) babbited rods seldom needed adjusting if the oil was chaned often enough and the oiling system kept clean. The cars that got all highway driving actually lasted longer.
All old engines would have done better years ago if they would have been run with modern oils. Say in 1950 if you dropped the pan on a 1947 with 40,000 miles on it and the oil wasn't changed every 1000 miles you would find a ton of sludge and the oil pump screen plugged-up.
The pre-war Plymouth and Dodge engines also got loose rods and they had soft crankshafts so the engine then required rebuilding. Often by 35,000 miles they would also be buring oil and the cylinder walls were worn-out along with the pistons. The Ford V-8 didn't have rod problems but they also wore out the cylinder walls.
The Chevrolet engine could always be "overhauled" and would then last over 100,000 miles with good care. The "otheer two" low priced" cars normally got a rebuilt engie twice by 100,000 miles.
I have driven dipper engines many , many miles and at high speeds and never had a rod problem or one never required a rod adjustment. I would not take one with a 4.11 rear end and drive it at 80 MPH all day long. I always used 65 MPH as a safe speed (with a 4.11) and 70 with a 3.73 or 3.55. Have run all my cars up to their top speeds often but not for more that a few miles.

I remember my Dad "blew the soot out" of the old 34 Chevy truck and also the 47 and 59 trucks, all with six cylinder engines, every once in a while, but never with my mom in the truck,it would have scared her to death!
I don't think it hurt anything because he only had 3 trucks from 1945 until 1965, and drove them every day. He told us boys, always be sure to change the oil and be sure it was full of oil and coolant. He said "It won't hurt anything on the truck if it happens to run out of gas." He always drove the speed limit on the highway, 60 in the day and 55 at night.

He told me after "When you blow the soot out only keep it at full speed a couple of miles, and never just take your foot off the gas, slowly let the truck slow down. That will keep you from throwing a rod."
Sounded reasonable, because I thought that my Dad knew everything!
In 1957 during my summer working in the oil field on my college summer job, I had my 52 Belair with the original 235 babbit rod engine overhauled because it was burning oil and smoking, new piston rings and a valve job and a new gasket set, timing gear and oil pump, new water pump, the radiator rodded and the bottom end never needed anything except a single shim out of the rods. Cost was $145 parts and labor.
A Plymouth mechanic that I knew, did the job and couldn't believe a 235 had babbit rods and dippers, until he tore the engine down, back then the engine wasn't pulled out of the car, just the pan and head pulled.
I always changed the oil (Quaker State 20 Wt HD) HD for the hydraulic lifters, at 1000 to 1500 miles and filter every other oil change. Oil was cheap back then. I think I could change oil and filter for around $2.00 I also made around $1.80 an hour as a roughneck on a Phillips 66 Drilling rig in Odessa, Texas.
Those were really "The good old days!"

Thanks Gene and MrMack.

You have provided some very useful information.

MrMack, I thought that HD on an oil can meant High Detergent. I learn something every day.
Charlie

It does mean High Detergent, that was for the hydraulic Lifters. Once I had the oil changed at a Phillips 66 station (I was working for Phillips and had a Phillips 66 Curt-sey card and the station used 30 weight Phillips Unique oil in my oil change. The pore old 52 powerglide engine missed sputtered, and the lifters rattled until I added a Qt. of Bardahl oil additive. After that, it was back to Q-State 20 Wt. HD (High Detergent).

The additive or detergent package was rated by names after WWII.
In 1946 straight mineral oil was rated REGULAR oil. The oil recommended for more severe drivng was PREMIUM oil.
In 1948 they went up one more step and the "best" oil was rated "HEAVY DUTY" and that is what Chevrolet recommended for their engines.
Around 1954 they changed to a letter system with ML for regular, MM for prem. and MS and DG for heavy duty. The DG was also a light duty diesel oil and that is what Chevroet recommended.
Later the ratings were changed to the lettering system that is in use today.

Gene,
Wow! How in the world do you know all that difficult and obscure erl stuff and don't know what color the top bows are in a 41 conv.? The former blows my mind. The latter surprises and puzzles me.
Charlie

Its all in the owners manuals.

I have looked for the top bow color but can't find any info there.